One of the seven factors to check before choosing a country, with a sortable table for the 21 countries.
By AtiveSite · Published 06/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Cost of living is the difference between a salary on paper and money in your pocket. A rough price-level signal is the ratio of GDP per capita at purchasing-power parity to GDP per capita at market exchange rates: a ratio below 1 suggests prices are higher than the exchange rate implies, above 1 that they are lower. It is a macro proxy, not the price of your rent and groceries.
| Country ⇅ | PPP ÷ nominal GDP per capita ⇅ | Inflation ⇅ | GDP/capita PPP ⇅ | Statistics office ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norway | 1.10 | 3.0% | US$ 104,044 | official |
| Switzerland | 0.89 | 0.2% | US$ 102,513 | official |
| Denmark | 1.08 | 1.9% | US$ 83,218 | official |
| Netherlands | 1.19 | 3.2% | US$ 87,320 | official |
| Germany | 1.25 | 2.2% | US$ 75,407 | official |
| Australia | 1.10 | 2.9% | US$ 71,934 | official |
| Canada | 1.20 | 2.1% | US$ 66,746 | official |
| New Zealand | 1.16 | 2.8% | US$ 57,350 | official |
| Sweden | 1.15 | 0.7% | US$ 72,529 | official |
| Finland | 1.17 | 0.3% | US$ 65,884 | official |
| Iceland | 0.85 | 4.1% | US$ 83,431 | official |
| Luxembourg | 1.06 | 2.3% | US$ 156,542 | official |
| Austria | 1.22 | 3.5% | US$ 76,778 | official |
| Ireland | 1.18 | 2.2% | US$ 155,089 | official |
| Belgium | 1.23 | 2.5% | US$ 74,676 | official |
| Singapore | 1.65 | 0.9% | US$ 163,354 | official |
| United Arab Emirates | 1.58 | 1.3% | US$ 79,344 | – |
| United Kingdom | 1.12 | 3.9% | US$ 64,606 | official |
| United States | 1.00 | 2.9% | US$ 90,027 | – |
| Japan | 1.54 | 3.2% | US$ 55,422 | official |
| France | 1.31 | 0.9% | US$ 63,975 | official |
Norway in detail: cost of living with rent, tax, daycare, transport and a calculator.
City-level rent, food and transport prices need each country's own data; they are on the roadmap.
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